Parent Trap: StreetPass Makes Social Networks Social Again

We all have peculiar reasons to like particular videogame hardware. Whether it’s the diminutive form factor of the Game Boy Micro, the wonderful ergonomics of the GameCube controller or the ingenious speaker on the Wii Remote, these designs trigger something inside us that buzzes with excitement each time we encounter them.

The 3DS of course has plenty of these novelties from its telescopic stylus, bullet proof clamshell closure and festive collection of multicoloured LEDs. However, there is one novelty that has connected so widely across gamers of all ages that it has almost become the de facto feature of the system: StreetPass.

While this was at first eclipsed by the big visual bump, camera, augmented reality and 3D features of the system, in my family (and many others, it seems) it has become the most used and most beloved aspect of our 3DS, 2DS and 3DS XL army.

Along with the game specific StreetPass data swap, it’s the steadily expanding StreetPass Plaza that we use the most. Head out the door, put your foot on the road and you never know who you are going to pass in the street. There is often a whoop of excitement as we walk into town and one of the children notices a little flashing light on the corner of the 3DS to signify that all important exchange of information.

This now happens much more regularly with the StreetPass Zones popping up all over the place that harvest and share passing 3DSs to increase the number of potential streetpasses you’ll get and proliferate the related data further and quicker.

Each of the children use it in a different way. My youngest is content to simply increase the number of Mii characters in his Plaza (and play a bit of Puzzle Swap), while his older brother is slowly working through the new StreetPass Plaza games (StreetPass Battle being his current favourite). My oldest has got into collecting regions, taking her 3DS with her overseas on family holidays to hunt those rarer parts of the globe.

Something I hadn’t realised was the pedigree of the different developers behind the new games released in June.

StreetPass Squad (Mii Force in US) is a classic arcade shoot 'em up game developed by Good Feel (Mario & Luigi: Dream Team), where the Miis you collect determine the expandable fire-power your spaceship has.

StreetPass Garden (Flower Town in the US) is a gardening simulation developed by Grezzo (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D) with its own system of genetics and pollination. Players can cross their species of flower with others they StreetPass.

StreetPass Battle (Warrior's Way in US) is a strategy game developed by Spike Chunsoft (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity) drawing on risk where the player pits their different troops against enemies. StreetPasses enable you to build up bigger armies and challenge other players to virtual battles.

StreetPass Mansion (Monster Manor in US) is a puzzle game developed by Prope (Let's Catch, Let's Tap) with battle encounters. Players explore a haunted house by placing Tetris-style blocks and then encounter different ghosts to fight. StreetPasses determine how many lives they have during each exploration.

I’ll admit that as a parent I was initially a little wary of letting my kids exchange data with passers-by on the street, but after understanding what exactly is exchanged I was reassured. While it is possible to pass messages back and forth between two people who regularly pass each other, the limited number of letters and restricted character set mean that these are too brief to be concerning. Add to that the unseen nature of whom and where you are exchanging data and there is considerable anonymity for StreetPass players.

If parents or guardians are concerned they can of course turn the feature off (or not turn it on in the first place), but I’d suggest the better approach is to use StreetPass with your children – they also get more out of the experience from sharing it with a parent. You can also see a full list of all the streetpasses in the Plaza and look at details for each Mii. In my family this has actually been a great low key way to talk about what information is appropriate to share on social networks and what interactions should be concerning.

I’m much happier for my children to StreetPass than Facebook or Twitter. There’s a purity of interaction here that creates connections and fun rather than tempting them to click on another link for another Farm management game, or the "best viral videos ever".

The final piece of the StreetPass puzzle for families is in that growing collection of StreetPass games. While we restrict other games to the weekend we are a little more relaxed about StreetPassing. Once you have used up your collected StreetPass Miis in each of the games you have to go out and collect some more before you can play again.

StreetPass games, by their nature, are played only in short bursts and only once a day. Add to that the built-in mechanic to get families and children outside in the big wide world and it is quite possibly one of the healthiest video-games I’ve come across.

Perhaps the only downside is that so few parents even realise it’s there, or many assume these kind of features are the same on any platform, citing Near on the PlayStation Vita as case in point. Of course this couldn’t be further from the truth, although I do find myself wishing I could StreetPass with my iPhone.

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When he's not contributing to Nintendo Life via his Parent Trap blog, Andy offers expert gaming advice on BBC One and runs the Family Gamer YouTube channel devoted to charting how families get on with gaming.

An interesting take on Streetpass. I have two young kids and I can definitely see your point about it being a 'friendlier' way of social networking, it is quite a compelling activity. The only thing I would say is when they're older, and could take their 3DSs by themselves, whether I could trust them to not lose the things. Account system please Nintendo!

Nintendo should make an app for smartphones to collect StreetPass data as well. Its the form factor as I don't always carry a bag or something to put the 3DS in. With Nintendo Network ID recently upgraded this should be possible.

@Damo
Yeah. Social networks are mentioned once, and then they just describe streetpass and how it can work in a familial setting.
The title doesn't mention families, and the article never mentions how it makes things "social again". I find streetpass to be extremely impersonal. A few words exchanged that are directed toward anyone and everyone. Then you play video games where only the colour of shirts and number of Miis matter.

@TheGZeus This is part of the Parent Trap series - it's almost a given that the content is going to be focused on a family setting. In that regard, the title makes perfect sense - this is a social network which allows the entire family to interact with one another. That's something that Twitter and Facebook - often so confined and inward-facing - can't always achieve.

@DamoheaddeskI didn't say it was shocking that it was focused on families.THE ARTICLE SAYS NOTHING THAT RELATES STREETPASS TO SOCIAL NETWORKING.No comparisons to existing services that actually fit the definition of a social network. No explanations of how StreetPass is social at all let alone a social network.The title does not fit.

It's not a bad article, it just has a misleading and rather nonsensical title."Twitter and Facebook - often so confined and inward-facing" O_o to use an internet cliche: ur doing it wrong.If you're just jabbering about yourself and not interacting with others... why are you on services designed to interact with others? You couldn't pay me to use Facebook (their eula makes me want to punch Zuckerberg in the face) or twitter (I don't even understand the point of that service), but I use G+ all the time.I post pictures of interesting things I come across (old games, weird adverts, various facepalm-inducing things), my thoughts on things, and comment on other people's posts. We interact, have conversations, share opinions... I think that's pretty much the definition of "social".StreetPass is "Hi, I'm FooBar from BazQux. I like cats. My dream for the future is to do something". Then you hit ghosts with swords without knowing anything else about the person.If that's more social than what you're getting on social networking sites, that's just verkachte! O_O

@TheGZeusWhat is social networking?1. A network of friends, colleagues, and other personal contacts: Strong social networks can encourage healthy behaviors. 2. An online community of people with a common interest who use a Web site or other technologies to communicate with each other and share information, resources, etc.: a business-oriented social network. 3. A web site or online service that facilitates this communication.

So streetpass is still a social network and by going out and actually being social that makes streetpass the most social of social networks. Would you not agree?

StreetPass probably works fine in the largest cities in the US and in Japan. In Bergen in Norway (the second largest city and former capital), I can walk around for hours and maybe get one or two people. Far more people have the 3DS, but everyone I've talked to just stopped walking around with it because it's still not anywhere near enough.

And the relay system isn't implemented here, either. The only reason I've been able to make any progress in any MiiPlaza game is because me and my gf StreetPassed each other in the same house. And then Nintendo went and reduced the amount of times that can happen to two per day, and we just said "screw this" and now we just shut our 3DS off when we're done because there's no point.

I get what Nintendo is trying to do, but just like with Swapnote and moronic parents' inability to watch their own kids, Nintendo caters to one small userbase and just forgets everyone else. Sooner or later I'll grow tired of this attitude of theirs, but I still love their games.

1. Of the 500+ street passes I have, I know one of them in real life, and the others are complete strangers who I can't identify and know nothing about.

2. Our only 'communication' is an exchanged greeting statement that is not unique.

3. The 3DS is online, I give you that, but it's very limited as you cannot have a direct conversation or interaction with anyone. It's about as interactive as putting a message in a bottle and tossing it in the ocean.

And if you are counting the fact that you need to take your 3DS out of the home to interact with people as a social benefit, would you then not have to say something like a soccer ball or a bike is also a social instrument as those require you to leave the house and potentially meet people as well?

I wonder if Nintendo will ever bring StreetPass to the Wii U? Collect hits on the 3DS and then through NNID have them made available on Wii U, or at least the earned Play Coins. I guess I'd just love to see more interaction between the two systems.

Networking is about sharing infomation regardless of the type of information shared and how it`s shared. Don`t take my word for it look it up in the English dictionary.

It fits streetpass because
1. Streetpass allows personal information and game content to be collected and shared.
2. Streetpass in a Community with common interests ie playing mario kart or puzzle swap. So I can share puzzle pieces or gain ghost data that I can race against.
3. Streetpass is a online service created by Nintendo to facilitates these types of communication.

"Strong social networks can encourage healthy behaviours" - Could be making money as an example

I've not been to a pub for years, so imagine my shock when I returned home after taking my dad to local old pub for his birthday, to pull out the 3DS from my pocket and this time not get a green light, but a blue light with a notification telling you are in a Nintendo Zone hotspot?

As if getting Nintendo Zone in an old fashioned pub full of oldies wasn't weird enough, that thing alone gave me 7 Street Passes including a Special Nintendo Mii with gold pants.

BTW I have no idea what Nintendo Zone is, but i'm guessing it has a relay system where it stores Mii's and classes them as Street Passes?

@FutureAlphaMaleThat`s right a ball or a bike could be used as a tool for social networking.

1. You don`t have to know a person to share information.2. It`s still a communication regardless of the content.3. You may have mentioned the first ever type of social networking. A message in a bottle to share and communicate information to someone else.

I love Streetpass. I'm addicted to Puzzle Swap and filling out my Region Map. It's amazing to me how such simple games can be so addictive. And it was fascinating for me to read the caliber of developers behind the newer Mii Plaza games.

I think what they are doing with National Streetpass Weekend is a stroke of genius - especially for me who loves seeing his Region Map fill up. Before they implemented relay passes, it was extremely hard to get a streetpass. Now, getting up to six at a time (at working locations), makes the plaza games much more fun and playable.

@TheGZeus you sound like an angry person with a touch of cabin fever. Maybe you should take your 3DS with you, out into that massive social network called Outdoors, and have a good time collecting Streetpasses and steps at Starbucks. Geesh.

@onespicyasian Streetpass Weekend is gonna be epic. I hope to actually see some fellow Nintendo Nerds with their glowing green lights at McDonald's or Starbucks.@TheGZeus I never called you a name, only said you sounded angry... which you still do. I disagree with your angry anger and hostility, not your opinion. So ayn-grree

@WYLD-WOOThe first kind of social networking is actually speaking with people and SHARING CONTACT INFORMATION WHICH CAN THEN BE SHARED WITH OTHERS. That is to say: actually having a conversation."Hello" "Hello" is not social networking.It's social, but there's no networking. Sharing contact info which can then be shared again is networking. You get contacts which then those contacts can then get in contact with each other, possibly through you, possibly without your intervention.StreetPass has no networking. The term "networking" existed before the Internet(in fact, 'computer network' derives its name from that, and Internet is derived from "interconnected (computer) network(s)"), so "being online" means nothing here.

StreetPass is great. StreetPass is fun. StreetPass is not a social network, because it has no social networking.It's just a neat way to play little games and collect caricatures of people. Yay.

@NImH I'm also going to a Streetpass Group thing on Sunday at a Nintendo Holiday Experience event, which is held at a Simon Mall. I should be up to my eyeballs in passes, both Relay Passes and real life passes!

No, you dont` have to speak to someone face to face to nextwork and share information and you don`t have to have a conversation with that person for it to be defined as networking. Networking is sharing information, no matter what information is shared or by what means. So, saying hello is social and you agree with that, yes? So, do you not agree that the definition of networking is sharing information by any means?

@Darth_Pascal I personally like the Streetpass Mansion/Monster Manor the most. A wide variety of areas to explore, enemies to battle, weapons to upgrade, etc. I also like Streetpass Battle/Warrior's Way, too, but there seems to be less to do in that one.

@Darth_Pascal I love Mii Force and Warrior's Way.Monster Manor is alright, but not as involving as the two I mentioned and Flower Town has SO MUCH STUFF in it. It's a bit overwhelming to me. It's a great game, don't get me wrong, but I bought it thinking it would be a neat little game to pass the time when I StreetPass. It's more on the order of Animal Crossing with how much time you need to devote to it to truly enjoy the experience. In all of the other games, I can get the people, do what I need, and be done. In Flower Town, there's a fair amount you can do and with so many options from buying new stuff for your garden, mixing plants, growing new plants, pollinating other plants, keeping track of growing 20 different plants, and such, it becomes a much bigger title than what I would expect from StreetPass.

StreetPass, though not always getting hits even on busy days in the city I live in, is an awesome addition to many games, and the Plaza is a great game on itself. Many of the add-on games for the Plaza even make it better! Whenever I come home and see that green light with many hits, I know I'm in for an hour or so, before I leave the Plaza. Too bad only the Quest has a leveling system for how many hits you had with the same person.It's a great way to keep you coming back to games, to make you carry your system around, and the play coins make me walk instead of taking the bus often. So, despite I don't see it as a social network (Miivers is though, and my favourite one at it), great article and nothing but praise for the feature on 3DS!

Since the relay system Street Pass has consummed my life lolI now have every puzzle piece and only 1 route to go on Street Pass Quest, I have over 20 Plants, 75,000 troops, reached floor 10 in the mansion and am near the last boss in mii squadI hope they do more games its awesome

In defence of the article your family is actually a social network in its purest and most basic form. Being social can just boil down to saying hello to people on the street which is exactly how your 3ds is acting on your behalf when you streetpass someone. I'm not a big fan of facebook myself but just because thats how one (admittedly rather dominant) social network acts doesn't mean that its form and function have to define the term social network itself. Just my opinion of course-others are welcome to disagree.

Personally puzzle swap is my main reason for streetpass don't care much for Streetpass but the OCS I have won't let me live until all my panels stop being empty. Also I've met people thru streetpass messages (fellow college students) people can be pretty smart about getting past limitations so I suggest keepin an eye on your kids don't get too careless

I have to agree with @TheGZeus . Just exchanging short phrases with random people you don't know or you will never get to know is no social networking. Anyway I never saw the point in the existence of StreetPass. No one has a 3DS here or they are afraid to take it out. Even if I could get hits I would never use it. After all those years 3DS lacks basic social features like a proper e-mail client, twitter and facebook interaction. The Miiverse addressed some of those issues but it is still a bit restrictive.

StreetPass is my nightmare social network, for me, but especially for my kids. Creepy as hell. 'Ollie from England' may well be there every day to watch the kids walking home from school shout with glee as they get a hit off him.

Like telling your kids to "go out and gather candy from strangers". Too few characters to be concerning? I wish I shared your ignorance.

@FutureAlphaMale If im not mistaken, you're able to write short personal greetings and create a straight forward profile for people to see. the closest thing that equates to this is Twitter. you may not be able to reply, mention, or favorite what you see, Regardless of that. you're still technically meeting people, what they like, and what they last played. Despite the fact that no one really communicates real time on that app (or sometimes face to face), It is still considered social because it involves you meeting, or crossing them in real time. or meeting them virtually via Streetpass Plaza. it's as what the article and what Andy Roberson states,"without the junk."

@KeatonTSoops. misread something, removed first part. sorry
"Post" is not the same as "exchange". You can't even write your own "dream for the future" or what you "like". .
You can compose a greeting, and one-time personal messages. These are exchanged, but neither retained nor passed on to additional users.
Again:
StreetPass is barely social on its own.
There is no 'networking' in the sense of "social networking".

It's neither a good tool for social networking, nor a Social Network (those used to be called "social networking websites" just a few years back, remember. the "network" does not refer to a "computer network")

@KeatonTS"Networking" involves sharing contact information of some kind with multiple people, so you can all share information of some kind in the future.That's the most basic definition of "networking" in this sense.Without that "social networking" (as opposed to business networking) cannot happen.If the business cards you are given and give out has pre-set blah on it, and everything is written in disappearing ink, leaving just the company logo on it... NOT GONNA GET MUCH NETWORKING DONE.

"There seems to be some buzz online today about the launch date of Super Smash Bros. We would like to clarify that the speculation about a Spring 2014 launch date for Super Smash Bros. on Wii U was the result of a misquotation in an interview. The original article has since been rectified and we have no further announcements to make at this time."

@TheGZeusIt does not say "Networking is sharing information ... so you can KEEP IN CONTACT" in any dictionary I have seen. It does say -[no object] (often as noun networking) interact with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.

There is no mention of getting in touch in the future. It`s as simple as sharing information and that may mean gaining a contact.

So, interaction with others is passing someone in the street with your 3DS and exchanging data, by doing so gaining a virtual social contact that you can say hello too and race against in a game like Mario Kart.

Yes, words do mean something and by definition of the dictionary. As I said before they are not my words.

facepalm
"and develop professional or social contacts."
Eh? EEEEH???
CONTACTS. You know, means of CONTACT. So you can CONTACT each other.
The word CONTACT (n.) MEANS SOMETHING.
"virtual social contact" that's... not a social contact. It's a computer programming script. A bit of code that does pre-determined actions.
Not CONTACT information.

@TheGZeusA social contact is contacting a person by any means like the 3DS and saying hello. So that would be a contact you are being social with. The 3DS is still a form of communication even if it`s in a basic form.

@WYLD-WOO
You can't just invent a meaning for "Contact (n.)".
What you said is not the meaning of contact(n.).
Putting the word "social" in front doesn't change that. It's just a modifier. It narrows the definition.
If you're such a fan of dictionary definitions (that you obviously don't understand) then LOOK UP THE MEANING OF THE NOUN FORM OF CONTACT.
Business or social, it's a person, business or group with whom you have MADE CONTACT and have the ability to CONTACT in the future.
I worked in direct sales for 2 years! I know what contacts are!
I get very upset when random shmucks try to re-define language, as though that will somehow win an argument for them. Twisting language in awkard, stupid ways will not make StreetPass a social networking service. It doesn't give any of the benefits of a social networking service. It doesn't have any of the fundamental, definitional properties of a social networking service.
MiiVerse is a social networking service.
StreetPass is a somewhat social computer program that's designed to encourage you to carry around your 3DS. At its core it's totally decentralised. No contact information is exchanged. There is no contact information for the feature in the first place.
By your description EMAIL is a social network. How about a forgotten notebook. Shouting in public. The walls of a urinal...
Christ... Just... UGH...

PS:
Here's another word for you to look up: sophistry.
This may not be 100% dictionary accurate, but in the philosophic community, this is common usage:
To twist words or use convoluted language in an attempt to confuse or re-direct the argument so as to be the 'victor' rather than reveal any truth.

Now if only there were settings that allowed parents and other adults to engage in deeper and more engaging social activities, like voice chat, instant messaging and sending/receiving friend requests. I love Nintendo, but I can't help but feel completely alienated at the same time.

@TheGZeus Dude. You can't expect LEGIT networking on something like street pass. that app is entirely made to get gamers together and play or get you to meet gamers so it benefits you for the little minigames that it has.

When you get street pass. you're passing a potential match up. Lets say you go to the park daily to walk your dog and rack up some play coins. and you find that you received street pass there every day at 3pm and their profile or the games of choice interest you. or at least their greeting message. you can arrange a personal message to that person for the next time you pass. something that will get you two to meet up and play.
-Bam-
you just earned your self an ACTUAL 3ds buddy rather than a online one.

I've done this multiple times. and i bring my 3ds to places i visit a lot to see if the same person(s) street pass me at least more than 3 times. the 3ds already acts as a scout. searching for people who have a 3ds in your area. the sole point of this feature in my opinion to connect players. more so in real life to enhance the 3DS experience and so that they can always be there too when you have "streetpass for goods" type games.

Rather it being a social app in its self like facebook, or twitter. It is a crutch to actually help you connect and be social with real people in real life, because you actually have to be near that potential player.
but i recommend not using places like best buy or anything thing because of the new street pass relay feature, because now. you'll never know if you actually passed someone now or 3 days ago. which kinda takes the fun and surprise out of streepass.